Incoming: Bass VI

[madbean]

Here's the story so far - The were going for $349 up until about Jan at which point Fender raised the price to $449. Well, ain't no way I'm paying that for something I just wanna use for some song demo ideas. So, I found a used/re-furbished one in mint condition locally for $319. Pretty sweet deal.

The Good: Fit and finish is great. Frets could use a little rounding off but they are very playable. It's well-made as a lot of imports are these days and the seller did a decent set-up on it. So far I have only plugged into the Champ but I at least like the sound of the B6 and the pickups are good single coil quality. Obviously it isn't as full and round as an actual bass but that's fine because I don't want it to sound that way. I think my favorite pickup combo is the bridge and middle, or all three. I don't get the tone switch...just not something I will use.

Less Good: Biggest problem with this guitar is the bridge. The D and G strings have a rattle that is unpleasant. It's not fret buzz....it comes from the bridge. I found that if I pressed hard enough between the saddle and back lip of the bridge the buzz stopped. Looking further into it, it seems the strings are in constant contact with the bridge lip. So, the obvious answer is to raise the saddles a bit and lower the entire bridge slightly to keep the setup while moving the strings off the lip. But, there is another issue - the posts and post holes are completely different sizes so the bridge pulls forward under string tension. I think this must be on purpose because why do that? After looking some more I found this:

http://www.instructables.com/id/Fender-Squier-Bass-VI-Fixing-tone-tuning-and-inton/step3/Fix-the-Bridge/

It seems inserting some brass sleeves will do the trick to keep the bridge upright. I don't really plan to use the vibrato anyway so I might just lock everything down. Assuming this simple fix does the trick I'll be happy.

[selfdestroyer]

That is a constant fight I have with my Jazzmaster and Jaguar...bridge buzz on the floating bridge.

I am interested in the brass inserts and see if that fixes your issues. Looks like an easy fix.

Cody

[madbean]

As far as play-ability, it's a lot like playing a baritone except the strings are much thicker, of course. It does take getting used to because the frets are in a position you are not used to and strings are a lot closer together than on bass. I do have a short scale 4-string but the Bass VI feels different even though the scale length is about the same.

Chords are like a meatloaf on this thing. Lower register chords are a bit hit or miss (like an open E chord is a little mushy) but that is not a surprise. On a Baritone, the open G, D and A chords are just phenomenally cool. The D and A chords on this are also good as well as most barre chords. I don't think I will be doing much string bending but single lines are easy enough to play. Fat strings and stank licks can be lots of fun!

[solderfumes]

Your bridge problems are a standard rite of passage for Jazzmaster/Jaguar players   The posts are indeed meant to float in the holes.  This is the main "feature" of that vibrato system; relative tuning is supposed to be preserved across strings, unlike with other whammy bars.  Something like the Mastery bridge does away with this, and people love that, but honestly I've found the stock bridge to be more robust than I expected (once I got it set up), and I never have problems with it (anymore).  Part of the characteristic tone of these ridiculous beasts is that hollow plonk that comes from the (lack of) coupling of the bridge and the body, I think.

As for the rattles and what not, it's pretty standard to have to shim the neck so that you can raise the bridge more.  (This is why Fender has several JM/Jags in production that have an angled neck pocket.)  This gets you more down-pressure on the bridge, which keeps things a little more solid, and also helps keep the strings from jumping out of their slots.  You'll have to find a balance between raising the bridge itself and raising the saddles.  I tried raising the saddles a lot initially, and found that the intonation adjustment screws themselves were now at a steep enough angle that they were touching the resonating strings!

Now: even after having done this, you might still get some rattles in the bridge.  Typically this is because manufacturing tolerances are working against you and the grub screws don't fit very precisely in the saddles -- this can also be a problem with the screws that adjust the height at the bridge posts.  When this happens, the screws can rattle so much that they start to turn, and the saddles (and the bridge) will lower themselves while you play!  No matter; a little teflon tape and perhaps a dab of vaseline will put the kibosh on that.  I think some Loctite Blue will also do the trick.

[blearyeyes]

I have a 62 Jazzmaster I picked up back then and a bass player I worked with got a little crazy and used silicon and filled up the bridge post holes. I don't remember how he did it but it eliminated the issues and is still working today. All those years. It makes the bridge flex a bit but it always goes back to the right place dead center. The adjustment screws still work and I think there was something about using a lubricant getting the silicon not to stick to the bridge posts when he was letting it set up. It's the Jazzmaster in my avatar picture. Beautiful intonation and no tuning buzzing issues at all.

[Morgan]

A buzzstop will probably serve you very well. You likely would not need to shim the neck and raise the bridge then. I'm not a huge fan of them because I like that trem, but they do get rid of bridge rattle well.

A lot of guys wrap the bridge posts in electrical tape to minimize the bridge rock. I works pretty well if you don't really use the trem.

[madbean]

Thanks. I did end up getting some brass tubing for locking the posts. Interestingly, the 5/16ths size only fit in one post hole...the other one is slightly smaller. So I've only got one in there now. It does keep the bridge perpendicular which raises the break angle of the strings and nearly eliminates the rattle. I think what I'm going to do is put the other one on my dremel or drill press and sand the outer layer to shave off some of the diameter so I can get it in the second post hole.

Still liking the BASS VI except for that minor annoyance.